Syria: Peace talks to resume soon

Syria lost the Golan Heights to Israel 33 years ago

The Syrian defence minister, Mustapha Tlas, says he expects peace talks with Israel to resume soon.

General Tlas told reporters during a visit to Syrian troops in northern Lebanon, that United States President Bill Clinton would succeed in re-launching the negotiations within weeks.

"The huge and sincere efforts of Bill Clinton will result in the resumption in the weeks to come of the peace talks between Syria, Lebanon and Israel," Mr Tlas said.

Rumours of a breakthrough

Asked about rumours of a possible summit between President Clinton, Syrian President Hafez al-Assad and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Mr Tlas said: "President Clinton is making sincere efforts to resolve the two tracks, between Syria and Israel and Syria and Lebanon, and I don't want to say anymore."

Barak, Clinton and Syrian Foreign Minster Sharaa at talks in January

The Israeli press has been speculating that a breakthrough in the talks is imminent and that secret meetings had been taking place between "technical groups" from both sides.

Geneva is being suggested as a possible venue for such a three-way summit in part because of a the recent visit of Swiss Foreign Minister Joseph Deiss to Damascus. Geneva was also the venue of the last meeting, in 1994, between the Mr Clinton and Mr Assad.

Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon

Mr Tlas, who is also Syria's deputy prime minister, dismissed the Israeli cabinet decision 10 days ago to withdraw its troops from southern Lebanon in July, with or without a peace agreement n agreement with Syria.

"It's a manoeuvre aimed at splitting the Syrian and Lebanese tracks. We will conduct the peace talks together in order to obtain our full rights," Mr Tlas said.

The Israeli-Syrian talks broke off in January, after Israel refused Syrian demands to commit itself to a full withdrawal from the occupied Golan Heights, before discussions on security and other elements of a peace deal.